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School audits under way in Thompson School District

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
03/24/2013 05:30:28 PM MDT

After making frequent stops to jiggle the handles of closet doors, ask questions of the school principal and jot down notes, Thompson School District Safety and Security manager Rick Frei was the last person to make his way out to the Sarah Milner Elementary School playground on Thursday.

Outside, four other district employees moved around the space, concentrating on their individual areas of expertise while Frei looked out across the playground, where dozens of children ran around for recess. He walked around to make sure that school staff has a clear line of sight anywhere on the courtyard and that children are able to get back into the building quickly if necessary. He also looked for any areas where a person might be able to hide, and he checked shrubs and trees to make sure they're cleanly manicured for the same reason.

Thompson School District Security

Measures taken since January:

Three community forums held to discuss safety and security

District met in collaboration with local emergency services agencies

District met with security officers at other school districts and Medical Center of the Rockies

Re-establishment of the District Incident Response Team, which includes members of city and county emergency responders

Implementation of enhanced radio systems

Tested 911 silent alarm systems at two school sites

Upcoming actions:

Completion of districtwide safety and security audits

Activation of E911 in all schools/rooms

Activation of emergency phone number in all schools

April threat assessment training for administrators

May and June incident command training for administrators

Development of safety and security information page for website

Rollout of ParentLink, new communications system to reach parents instantaneously

The grounds assessment was one of the first steps of the multihour safety and security audit that members of the District Incident Response Team conducted at Sarah Milner, the 15th district building to undergo such an audit in the past few weeks.

"What we're doing is building a picture of what each school needs based on our audit and based on the principal's needs," Frei said.

In a letter to parents the day after the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Thompson School District Superintendent Stan Scheer announced plans for comprehensive safety audits to identify any vulnerable aspects of the district's schools. In January, Frei was hired to coordinate the audits, among other efforts related to enhanced security efforts in the district.

A school audit begins, as it did on Thursday at Sarah Milner, with a conversation with the building principal. There's a 30-question checklist that Frei works through, with questions focusing on the school's anti-bullying initiatives as well as other safety and security procedures in place.

The rest of the process is hands on, and for that, several district employees are on board to help with the crafting of eventual recommendations.

"It's good to have different eyes to look at things," district bond administrator Jay Earl said.

Because of his knowledge of district facilities, Earl was asked to play a role in the audits, along with fire inspector Kris Briggs, systems engineer Josh Coseo and communications system specialist Lenny Layman, whose work focuses on the district's radio systems.

"It brings us all together in different specialties for interdepartmental collaboration," Layman said.

Coseo, who works with the district security cameras, said that in the past he visited schools on a case-by-case basis, but the audits offer the opportunity to do a thorough walk-through, assessing every building in the same manner.

"We're trying to make it standard so we can practice safety and it's all the same," Coseo said.

That's the point of a 16-page uniform document that assesses the exterior, interior and culture of every district building. Main focuses -- and areas that Frei said have come up in the audits so far -- are line of sight, so that kids are always in clear view for staff; safe passages from bus drop-off to the schools; adequate lighting; and standard response protocols.

"I think what these things need are continuity of leadership," Frei said. "There have been loose ends."

Audits at every district building are expected to be complete by late April. After follow-up meetings with building principals, districtwide recommendations will be presented to the board of education in May.

Because they can't redesign the schools, Frei said it's important to brainstorm with building principals on the best ways to keep children safe.

"It's just a matter of security without making it feel like a prison," Frei said. "We want the schools to still feel welcoming."

In recent discussions with the board of education, district officials have not ruled out the possibility of a future bond issue for enhanced security measures, but have stressed that there is much that can -- and will -- be done without one.

Rick Frei, safety and security manager for the Thompson School District, left, and Jay Earl, district bond administrator, right, talk with Karen Bloom, technology facilitator at Sarah Milner Elementary School, as they do a security audit of the school in Loveland on Thursday.
(
Jenny Sparks
)

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